WHY DO WE ALWAYS RUSH TO PROCLAIM AND ANOINT A PLAYER TO BE THE G.O.A.T. BEFOR HE HAS REALLY DONE ANYTHING OR WHEN HIS CAREER IS NOT EVEN CLOSE TO BEING FINISHED OR WORSE YET WHEN IT'S BARELY BEEN A CAREER IN THE FIRST PLACE .. CASE AND POINT THE COUNTLESS ARTICLES AND NEWSPAPER STORIES AND YES EVEN BLOGS LOL WHO SAY THIS PLAYER OR THAT PLAYER TO BE THE NEXT MICHAEL JORDAN OR THE NEXT BIRD OR THE NEXT MAGIC ETC ETC .. PLAYERS WHO HAVE A HISTORY AND WHOS CAREERS YOU CAN GO BACK AND LOOK AT HOW THEY CHANGED THE GAME PLAYERS WHO HAVE PAID THEIR DUES AND HAVE GAVE THEIR BLOOD SWEAT AND TEARS TO THE GAME OF BASKETBALL PLAYERS WHO HAVE PUT ON THE GREATEST PERFORMANCES IN NBA HISTORY ONLY TO HAVE SPORTS WRITERS FANS AND WEEKEND BLOGGERS COMPARE THEIR GAME TO THESE NEW AGED "SUPERSTARS " WHO HAVE ONLY BEEN IN THE LEAGUE ONE OR TWO YEARS WHO HAVE PUT UP AMAZING STATS .. MAYBE EVEN OUT OF THIS WORLD INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCES BUT IN THEIR SHORT CAREERS IN THE BIG PICTURE OF THINGS HAVE NOT DONE ANYTHING YET .. I DONT GET THAT.
WHEN PLAYERS LIKE GRANT HILL , KOBE, PENNY HARDAWAY, LEBRON, WADE, AND COUNTLESS OTHERS FIRST CAME INTO THE LEAGUE WITHIN THE FIRST 2 - 3 YEARS OF THEIR CAREERS PPL ALLREADY HAD CROWNED THEM THE NEXT MJ .. IN FACT I REMEMBER READING AN ARTICLE ABOUT GRANT HILL ENTITLED " CAN GRANT HILL SAVE THE NBA ? " HELL LEBRON WAS MENTIONED IN THE SAME BREATH AS MJ BEFOR HE EVEN STEPPED FOOT ON A NBA COURT .. ARE WE AS SPORTS FANS NBA FANS INPERTICULAR ARE WE THAT DESPERATE TO TRY TO BOUNCE BACK FROM WHEN THE GREATS RETIRED THAT WE JUST CLING ON TO WHATVER PLAYER HAPPENS TO BE THE FLAVOR OF THE MONTH AND AUTOMATICALLY PUT THESE KIDS ON SUCH HIGH PEDESTALS AND BORDER LINE IDOLIZE JUST TO TRY TO RECAPTURE HOW IT WAS IN THE 1980'S TO THE LATE 1990'S WHEN THE NBA WAS TRULY AT ITS PEAK ? WHEN THEY SIMPLY HAVNT PLAYED ENOUGH GAMES OR BEEN UNDER ANY KIND OF TRIAL BY FIRE IN THE PLAYOFF'S ESP IN THE FINALS ??
THE ONLY PLAYER FROM THE NEXT GENERATION WHO GETS A FREE PASS ON THIS SUBJECT IS WADE ..WHY YOU ASK ?? HE'S PUT IN THE HARD WORK ..HE HAS PUT IN THE DEDICATION YEAR IN AND YEAR OUT HE HAS PAID HIS DUES HE'S BATTLED TESTED IN HIS SHORT CAREER HE HAS GONE THROUGH THAT FIRE AND CAME OUT AS A CHAMPION .. LOL MAN ALL OF YOU WHO KNOW ME KNOW HOW MUCH IT TOOK FOR ME TO EVEN WRITE THAT BUT YOU CANT DENY THAT EVERY YEAR HE HAS BEEN IN THE LEAGUE HE HAS IMPROVED HIS GAME FROM HIS DEFENSE TO HIS 3 POINT SHOT TO HIS JUMPERS TO HIS BANKER OFF THE GLASS .. SIMPLY PUT HE HAS BROUGHT IT EVERY YEAR
ON THE FLIP SIDE WE COME TO LEBRON JAMES .. I'M GONNA SAY THIS RIGHT NOW THIS IS NOT HATE THIS IS JUST MY OBSERVATION FROM WATCHING THE GAMES I HAVE SEEN AND HOW HIS CAREER HAS GONE SO FAR .. BRON HAS BROKEN ALMOST EVERY NBA RECORD FOR BEING THE YOUNGEST PLAYER TO DO ........... FILL IN THE BLANK HE HAS PUT UP STATS THAT NO PERSON HAS EVER PUT UP AT HIS AGE IN NBA HISTORY .. AS SOME HAVE HAVE SAID HE'S A LINE BACKER THAT JUST HAPPENS TO PLAY BASKETBALL WHEN HE GETS GOING TO THE LANE WITH HIS UPPERBODY STRENGTH HE'S ONE OF IF NOT THE BEST FINSIHER IN THE LEAGUE ... HE HAS PUT UP NUMBERS THAT WE HAVE NOT SEEN SINCE OSCAR ROBINSON , MAGIC, DR. J ETC ETC ETC ... AND THAT IS GREAT .. ALL OF THAT IS WELL DESERVED HOWEVER .. UNTILL THIS YEAR HE HAS NOT TAKIN THE CAVS PAST THE 2ND ROUND IN 3 YEARS .. LOOSING TO DET IN 7 IN 05 - 06 AND NOT MAKING THE PLAYOFF'S IN 03 - 04 OR O4 - 05 ....... BUT YET THAT DID NOT STOP PPL FROM ONCE AGAIN PROCLAMING HIM THE BEST SINCE MJ ,MAGIC AND BIRD .. DESPITE LEADING HIS TEAM REALLY TO NO WHERE .. AGAIN MAYBE IT WAS THE NBA FANS WANTING DESPERATELY TO RE CAPTURE THE FEEL OF THE NBA AND HOW IT USE TO BE SO BADLY THEY JUST SEEM TO HAVE OVER LOOKED THOSE POINTS OR ONLY POINT TO HIS STATS TO SUPPORT THEIR ARGUMENT AND IGNORING THAT HIS CAREER WAS JUST STARTING .. AND THEN WE COME TO THIS YEARS PLAYOFF'S GAME 5 IN PERTICUALR .. BRON GO'S UNCONSCIOUS SOME SAY A GAME FOR THE AGES ..SOME SAY THE GREATEST PLAYOFF GAME IN NBA HISTORY .. OF COURSE THOSE OF US OVER THE AGE OF 21 KNOW BETTER BUT EVEN US VET'S WHO HAVE SEEN THOSE GREATS PLAY GET SWEPT UP IN THE HYPE OF OVER HYPING A PLAYERS PERFORMANCE AND QUICKLY LABEL THEM THE SECOND COMMING OF THOSE PLAYERS WHO PLAYED BEFOR THEM .. AGAIN IGNORING THE FACT THAT THERE CAREER IS ONLY JUST BEGENNING AND REALLY CANT BE COMPARED TO THOSE WHO HAVE LONG BEEN RTETIRED OR PLAYED IN DIFFRENT GENERATIONS UNDER DIFFRENT RULES .. BUT AGAIN THAT DOES NOT STOP US FROM DOING IT ANYWAY .. I ALLREADY KNOW WHATS COMMIN LOL " BUT HE WAS ONLY 20 " .. " HE HAD VIRTUALLY NO HELP " ETC ETC .. AS VALID AS THOSE POINTS ARE .. IT STILL DOES NOT CHANGE THE FACT THAT HE WAS NOT ABLE TO DO IT AS OPPOSED TO WADE WHO TOOK THE HEAT TO THE SEMI FINALS IN 04 BEFOR FALLING TO THE PACERS .
IT SEEMS TO BE OUR NATURE TO APPOINT OR PUT THESE KIDS AT SO HIGH OF A LEVEL WHEN THEIR NOT READY TO BE PLACED THAT HIGH AGAIN I ASK YOU WHY DO WE DO IT ?
cause people always want to compare the gr8s or the soon to be in the medias eyes gr8's, thats what they get paid to do and thats just what fans do cause they want another player to fill in that missing void of the past superstar
I'm not 20-something, I'm 30-something. And yes, I proclaim my love for LeBron. You just don't get it yet do ya? Do we need an eye chart exam? Do we need some counseling? Can we get you OFF of your fascination with the Pistons?
I'll never proclaim LeBron the BEST EVER, like you are tyring to make it seem. I will proclaim him the best in the league RIGHT NOW. Other than that, grow up, get a life, and then deal with it. If you have a favorite outside of Chauncey or Tay-####, or Rashart, then get a backstage pass. You are probably going to miss something pretty damn special.
like it dude. I was rolling the other night when dipstick kept referring to that game as possibly the best individual performance in NBA playoff history. What???? Have we forgotten the Bill Russel's, the Wilt Chamberlain's, the MJ's, the Larry Bird's, and there could be many many more thrown in there. Could it possibly have been that the defense Detroit was playing/not playing could have had an effect on that? How many times did Lebron just drive straight to the hole without anyone stepping in front of him? Lebron's awesome, don't get me wrong. But there was much more to his supposed greatest NBA playoff game ever played than his dunks and looptie doo shots.
ace - i understand sports writers have a job to do in selling news papers and grabbing headlines ..but in writing those stories .. should they not have at least a shred of respect for the history of the game ?
nos - lol my friend i have felt this way since day 1 .. i can see how you would be so easily offended but game 5 was just the most recent game that just happend to prove my point for the blog ..nothing more nothing less .. and i dont have a fav player that plays for det right now .. i enjoy watching the entire team not just chauncey not just rip not just sheed and i believe i mentioned other players kobe,penny,wade, hill not just bron .. thanks for commin by
fat - thanks for the read very much appreacited .. great llst of names you put up there it's just a shame how many ppl dont want to or choose not to remember their impact on the game
Hey...one thing for sure, Lebron is definately the next Lebron!!! Right now, I love to hate him because I'm a Piston fan. I want to see more of those 0-8 quarters...but I can't deny his specialness. You hit the nail on the head...he's only 20 years old. When all is said and done (barring any career ending injury ala Grant Hill) James will be one of the greatest.
steeler - thanks for the kind words comming from you they mean alot .. and i somewhat agree but it's when we go overboard is the problem
fp - i agree when his career is over james very well might be one of if not the g.o.a.t. or at least in the top 3 but RIGHT NOW .. you cant say that .. he simply has not played enough or earned it.
hoff - possiable being the keyword .. alot of things are possiable but untill they actually become reality .. untill its been proven that they can be done time after time after time .. you just cant make the same comparisons to somebody who has doen it time and time and time again .thats just a fact all i'm sayin is let brons career play out AT LEAST 5 - 7 years befor giving him the same credit as those who came befor him
lol again i cant stress enough this is not about lebron james he is just one ofthe players i happend to mention this is about every kid that has came into the draft played 2 - 3 years and automatically everybody is on his jock .. i believe i mentioned grant hill ..kobe ..wade .. penny .. not just bron .. this is not a bron bashing blog it's about every player that has been labeled a " super star " befor they were ready to ..
Gr8 - I don't think it's so much annointing someone before their time so much as accepting that probably the best single game performance in the last 5 years (at least) of playoffs took place that night. Add to it that it was done by a known name in the NBA, against a powerhouse team, in the conference finals when all the pressure was on both teams, and you have a performance that stacks up against very few other comparable performances.
I've been watching the playoffs since the late 1970's, and I put this #5 in my top 10 playoff performances.
Add to it that there has been little if anything to write about in the Eastern Conference (actually the entire playoffs other than the Horry foul), and you have a story that at the MOMENT I will grant might be out of proportion, but in 5 years will still be remembered as one of the all time great playoff perfomances.
Good post, just one request if I might say so, please stop using all caps *grins* Later!
gr8....Yes, he has been inconsistent in the past, but there comes a time when a player needs to make the next step up to prove all the so-called hype is true. LBJ took the next step and proved that by beating a better team consistently the last 3 games. We have been waiting for him to take that giant leap, and he has done it on the giant world's stage. Perfect timing.
I have always admired a team that peaks at the right time...Detroit peaked too soon, and The Cavs are just now hitting their stride. Yes, the Cavs, not just LBJ. The Cavs are feeding HIM the ball, going to him to carry the team, and playing decent D. It's not just HIM, it's the team.
I think the Cavs blow out Detroit tonite. Pedal to the medal, they smell blood in the water and they will not let down. Detroit might play a lil conservative to stay in the game and try to take it back to Detroit, even though that's exactly what they shouldn't do..they need to be aggresive. But it won't happen. The fans will play havoc and the party is getting ready to start in Cleveland.
dalamar - thanks for droppin in man .. if you wanna make a point about it being the best in the last 5 years .. ok .. sure i can live with that although i think wades game in game 3 of last years finals was a tad bit better scoring 43 and 15
"UNTILL THIS YEAR HE HAS NOT TAKIN THE CAVS PAST THE 2ND ROUND IN 3 YEARS .. LOOSING TO DET IN 7 IN 05 - 06 AND NOT MAKING THE PLAYOFF'S IN 03 - 04 OR O4 - 05"
The year before Lebron was drafted the Cavs won 17 games. They were terrible. And then Lebron comes in the next year and they win 35 games and then 42. If you really expect any player to take a team that only won 17 games to the playoffs the next year you have to be kidding me. It takes time to develop a playoff team, not one or two years.
I hate comparing players to the greats. I just hate it. But Lebron is one hell of a player and no one can deny that.
lisa - lol what i'm gonna do with you .. i guess i'm not getting my point across to you clearly enough you cant put 3 games worth of basket ball and put it up aginst those who have simply had a better body of work .. it does not work that way
so i guess it was the cavs who scored those 29 points then ?? because you know it's not just bron it's the cavs to right ?? lol .. it's pretty hard to have the cavs do anything when their playbook is made up .. bron - iso at the top .. bron - iso on the wings bron - iso on the box .. or when half of the starting 5 is hurt or in foul troubel and on the bench in crunch time like daniele " boobie " gibson .. " z" and gooden were
lol you act like det hasnt been here and done that befor .. you dont think det has not been down 3 - 2 befor ?? i guess you dont remember the orlando series in i think it was in 2000 when det went up aginst another player who some called the next mj by the name of tracy mcgrady in fact they were up 3 - 1 when t - mac said he would enjoy moving on to the next round ... oops .. or how about when det was down in the series to the nets in 03 and came back to win it in 7 .. det has been here befor .. i will be the first to admit that they have NOT played like they have been in the last 3 years but that dosnt mean you can count them out by any strech of the imagination or that they will just roll over without putting up the fight of their lives
nd - thanks for stoppin in .. wade was a major part of taking the heat into the 2nd round in his rookie year so it's not like it has never been done .. guess it didn't take him that long to make it in huh ?
You're right, but I think I know why. People feel better when they see greatness cultivated and achieved before their very eyes. People don't want to look back and say, "Wow, he was probably the best and we didn't even know it". They want to feel a part of it. They want to see it happen. I'm not saying that's right, but I believe that's why.
GR8...I agree 100% and have to put the same comment in so many responses to posts.
By the way, that pitch shot out of the bunker by Ohearn(friday) was the GOAT, since it rolled all over before going in the cup. It was even better than Tiger's GOAT at the 2005 Masters....hahahahahaha!
Another weekend GOAT was the catch by Lofton to steal a HR from fans in Seattle.
Wade's overall game might have been better, yes, but Wade didnt score most of his points that night by scoring every basket for his team for half a quarter and two overtimes, as I recall the Mavs kept trying to get the ball out of his hands and it went in to Shaq who tossed it back out on the double team rotations. LeBron basically carried the Cavs by himself, which is why I think it will be remembered as one of the greats.
5 years from now when TNT is going over their yearly Playoff Memories, you can bet this one will be among their recollections...
dalamar - wade scored 15 of his 42 in the 4th .. and you're right it wasn't like scoring 29 of you're teams last 30 but isnt that the point ?? he didnt need 2 ot's to get the job done and yet still have it be imo anyway better then brons game thurs and once again it was in the finals which carries more weight
I agree, GR8. Hold off on annointing these guys anything. Period. Allow them to write their own stories and walk their own paths, and in their own unique ways. That's always been my motto.
There are some great ballers out there today. You mention more than a few here.
It would be great if Detroit could get the series back to the Palace but Billups will have to regain his touch.
nice post!
ppl love making comparisons i think its just human nature... like i think lbj has too much pressure on him sometimes...
this game was just a statement game for lebrons career... i mean lets face it.. the same ppl that say hes now the next mj were the same ppl saying he was the next kg.. thats how the media is...
if the cavs can make it past detroit it will be similar to when jordan was finally able to get by them.. we all know how hard it was for mj to finally get by the pistons... and if lebron can do it he'll be on his way to bigger and better things...
nonetheless... good luck tonight.. may the best team win the conference...
chris - what the hell is you're problem dude ..seriously you need to get that gigantic stick out of you're #### .. this is why ppl like you will never ever get it and ppl like mean and the others who have posted do .. let me talk slowely so maybe you can understand better this ...... is .... not ... about .... lebron james .. .. do i need to freakin draw stick figures and flash cards to get it through that thick head of you'rs .. i guess reading is not one of you're strong suits .. stick to you're pogs and pokemon cards and leave basketball to grown folks .. and for the record i would have made this blog after the season befor the season in preseason .. in the middle of football season would not have mattered i would have felt the same way no matter when i would have posted it ... dumb ####
mean - i always appreacite you commin by man .. maybe you can teach chris a thing or 3 about this game .. but thats like askin paris to wear underwear .. i agree billups has not been billups .. i dont know if you read dime today but they reported that there was some dis content in the locker room between the players .. maybe its a mix of that plus like you said dets legs may be going .. either way should be one hell o####ame tonight
mark - thanks for the props !! perhaps should the cavs win tonight i can step back and survey this series a little better without being so emotionally attached .. always good to see you come back any time
sis - thanks man i caught that also ..obv .. yeah i dont know whats wrong with chris maybe he wasnt hugged enough as a child or somethin . good to see ya on here
josh - nice call about minor !! how i could i forget him .. mr. " baby jordan " himself .. good to see one of the vets of the blog world on here
I would agree with the fact that we often annoint people the Greatest of All-Time before it is due. There is no denying the fact that LeBron James is one of those people that has the potential to be one of the best for sure. Winning titles alone though does not make you great. Michael Jordan was criticized for lack of championships until the 1991 season. Was he any less of a player in 1988 when he was winning the MVP and defensive player of the year. Anyone who is in the 40 year old range and witnessed his play knows that he was better in 1987-90 than he was 1996-1998 when the Bulls won their 3 consecutive championships. He just had alot better people around him later in his career. People put down Jordan then but he shut everybody up in the '90's. The reason he wanted to do it was shut everybody up about Magic, Bird, Isaiah, etc. Then he got the respect. We'll see how the careers of some of the new talent evolves over the years but anybody who's been around LeBron knows he something special as a leader, player and person. You can't put him in an all-time great list now obviously, but he's on his way there.
dog - excellent comment .. you obv know the game .. all i am sayin is let their careers play out first then judge not judge when there careers are just starting .. tonight though i gotta give bron his due .. he took a step fwd on his journey .. come around more often would love to see ya
pro - lol glad you like the name .. would that be most valuable pu**y ??
Hello evrybody in cyber space i am brand spankin new to this forum and to this whole blogging thing .. lol guess you can say i'm a blogging virgin .. ha ha so be gentle lol ... am 28 years old living in Adrian Mi .. my all time fav sports team is the Det Pistons ... always have been always will be .. ever since i was a little kid man back when Dumars got drafted and the rest of the Bad Boys .. those were the good o'l days man not like todays NBA where if ya breathe on a player wrong its a foul .. no blood no foul ask Laimbeer about that lol and loved LOVED the rivlary between Chicago and Det or New York and Chicago or Lakers and Boston the closest thing we got now for rivals is Miami .. anyway thats all for now
